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The latest news from the Joomla! Team

Squadbuilder Evening 2019

Posted by David Williams on

Last night (16th April), a function was held in the Blues Bar at the Swansway Chester Stadium to enable the CFU Board to give thanks to all those who had contributed to the Squadbuilder scheme either via monthly payments or through buying a “Claim Your Turf” plot. People who had taken part in these initiatives had been invited to the evening.

 

Following an introduction from Paul Bodman, Grenville Millington gave a very entertaining talk which was full of amusing tales from his time playing for the club during the 1970s. The current first team managers, Bern & Jonno, then joined us and took part in a Q&A session. As usual, the duo were open and insightful.

 

They felt this season had been one of consolidation, particularly as at the start of it the club was still recovering from the financial crisis. Furthermore, they joined part way through the preceding off-season therefore with more time to plan ahead this time around they are confident of stepping up a gear.

 

All those invited were entered into a free draw for a football signed by the Chester FC squad. As many of these people are part of the Exiles group, it seemed appropriate that the draw was won by someone from Cardiff.

 

At the end of the evening, the players who had been on the pitch training came in to mingle with those present while there was also the opportunity to enjoy a tour of the stadium.

 

Paul Bodman kindly donated a framed print of the Claim Your Turf graphic for the 2018-19 season which will be hung in the Blues Bar.

 

 

The CFU Board wish to thank all those involved for making the evening so enjoyable.

 

It would be easy to believe that paying £5 each month into Squadbuilder has limited impact however the scheme is on schedule to raise over £8,000 this season. This is most impressive, especially as only around 80 people have been contributing.

 

If more people signed up now, the managers would be able to plan ahead with a much bigger budget for next season. The club is of course grateful for all donations, particularly in recent times, but we wish to remind fans that they can continue to have a big impact on the fortunes of Chester FC for a small outlay each month.

 

The details for signing up for Squadbuilder can be found on this page http://www.chesterfc.com/squadbuilder/

 

If you would like to sponsor a Claim Your Turf plot for the 2019/20 season, please email fundraising@chesterfc.com

 

 

Big City Census 2018-19

Posted by Jeff Banks on

 

Today sees the launch of the Big City Census 2018-19!

 

Yes, it’s that time once again as we seek the views of the owners of Chester Football Club.

 

Please check your email inbox today for the link to complete this year’s survey.

 

This year we are focussing on the membership, matchday experience and overall progress of the board and working groups set up in 2018, to help drive the club forward.

 

It is also time to renew memberships very shortly and we are looking at a Direct Debit scheme for members to sign up to, which will make the process much more simplified, and your comments are welcomed in the Census.

 

If you have not received the Big City Census email by Wednesday 17th April then it’s possible we may not hold up to date details for you. If this is the case please email jeff.banks@chesterfc.com quoting your membership number.

 

Your feedback is very much appreciated and helps us to improve the way the club is run and allows us to follow up suggestions and ideas made by each member that completes the survey.

 

We have set a 7 day window for the survey to be completed, and will close at midnight on Monday 22nd April.

 

For members who don’t have email, we hope to have a paper version available in the Chester FC ticket office by Thursday 18th April.

 

Thank you in advance for completing the Big City Census, and of course your continued support.

 

Jeff Banks

Director of Membership and Fan Engagement

2019 Chester FC Awards Evening

Posted by David Williams on

Tickets are available from the Club’s office for the End of Season Party at the Mollington Banastre on the evening of 18th May.

 

Mingle with the stars from the playing squad while listening to live performances from Chasing Shadows – a superb local band – and enjoy a 3 course meal. All this for just £30!

 

 

Seals Lottery Draw March 2019

Posted by David Williams on

*Derek Williams, who won March’s second prize, sadly passed away 3 weeks ago. His widow, Dorothy, has requested that the prize be donated to Chester FC. All at the club send our condolences at this sad time and thank her for this very kind, thoughtful gesture.

CFU and Community Sports Facility Meeting – Tonight

Posted by Jeff Banks on

We would like to remind members that tonight’s informal meeting will include the presentation on the Community Sports Facility, by the Chester FC Community Trust.

 

The meeting will get underway at 7.30pm and we urge as many fans to come down to the Blues Bar at the Swansway Chester Stadium, to find out more about this exciting development.

 

Tonight’s meeting will be streamed live on the Chester FC Twitter account @chesterfc from 7.30pm this evening. Please note this is a change from the original plan of streaming via the City Fans United you tube channel.

 

We look forward to seeing you all there tonight.

 

Community Sports Facility & Informal CFU Meeting – Wednesday 20th March

Posted by Jeff Banks on

City Fans United and Chester FC Community Trust are holding an open meeting on Wednesday 20th March to provide an update on proposals for a community sports facility in Chester.

 

The meeting will take place in the Blues Bar at the Swansway Chester Stadium starting at 7.30pm with supporters and the wider public encouraged to attend.

 

The development of a community sports facility has been an aspiration of the supporter-owned club for a number of years with its charitable Community Trust leading the project.

 

Following positive discussions with key stakeholders over recent months, the boards of both the CFU and the Community Trust are pleased to be in a position to announce full details of the scheme.

 

The proposals have been carefully developed to ensure it provides the best possible facility for the communities of Chester and Cheshire West. A public consultation will begin in the coming weeks, giving people the opportunity to comment on the plans and inform the final design.

 

Jim Green, chief executive of the Community Trust, said: “It has been a long time coming but we are genuinely excited about these plans and look forward to sharing them with supporters and the wider community.

“Grassroots sport desperately needs more investment and better facilities, and this project will deliver on both counts. It will be a facility the community can be proud of.”

 

CFU director Jeff Banks said: “When we reformed the club back in 2010, one of the key aims for the future was to have a sports facility that would be of benefit to the whole community. A great deal of hard work and planning has gone into getting to this point, and next Wednesday’s meeting will provide a great chance for everyone to see how they can help in bringing this to fruition.”

 

Please note, the planned informal CFU meeting, set for Thursday 21st March, has now been brought forward to the Wednesday night in order for us to have the open meeting relating to the community sports facility.

 

If you would like to know more about the project or have any questions, please contact Community Trust chief executive Jim Green by emailing  jim.green@chesterfc.com or ringing 01244 371376.

Board of Directors – Update

Posted by Jeff Banks on

City Fans United would like to advise of a couple of additions to the board of directors.

 

Firstly, we welcome Kieron Shiel who was co-opted on the board at Tuesday night’s meeting of board members, and will be initially looking at the Volunteers portfolio.

 

Kieron has been co-opted following our open request for those interested in joining the CFU board, and fills the one available place at present until the AGM later this year, when he will be able to apply for election to the board.

 

Kieron will assume the role of Volunteer coordination, recruitment and development. He has a wide range of skills and experience including project and programme management, large scale people management and information technology.

 

The board have also welcomed a new external director, as Chris Robertson joins and will assume the Treasurer role, also until this year’s AGM.

 

Chris brings to the board senior management experience and has most recently worked for over 10 years as a management consultant with a wide range of charities, social enterprises and the UN.

 

As is standard with such appointments, both are subject to approval from the FA and criminal record checks.

 

We would like to thank everyone that got in touch, and also to Richard Lynes for his extensive time and effort in speaking to all of those who got in touch following our request. Our working groups will also be contacting some of those people with a view to strengthening each group.

 

We are also making progress with the position of CFU Secretary, following Marion Needham’s announcement at the 2018 AGM that she would be stepping down from the Secretary role during the course of 2019. We hope to make a further announcement on this in due course.

 

The next CFU meeting will take place on Thursday 21st March, starting at 7.30pm and will take place in the Blues Bar at Chester FC. This will be an informal meeting which will be streamed live on the CFU You Tube channel.